


Let the Memory Live Again

by danrdarrenc



Category: Days of Our Lives
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-08-30
Updated: 2014-08-30
Packaged: 2018-02-15 11:03:02
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,400
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2226666
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/danrdarrenc/pseuds/danrdarrenc
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>After an accident, Sonny gets amnesia. Will makes it his life's mission to get Sonny's his memories back.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Let the Memory Live Again

Will is just getting out of class when his phone lights up with Adrienne’s face. He stares at his phone for two rings, confused, since Adrienne hardly ever calls him, despite being his mother-in-law. He hits the answer button and says, “Adrienne?”

Immediately, he knows something is wrong. She’s crying and barely stutters out something about an explosion at the club, that Sonny’s alive but he’s in the hospital. Will hangs up on her in the middle of a sentence and flies across town to University Hospital, running faster than he’s ever run in his life.  
When he reaches the ER, out-of-breath and stitches in his sides, Will gasps out questions, asking where Sonny is, if he’s still in surgery, what happened. Before she can respond, Adrienne runs over, pulls him into a hug, and explains the situation. Apparently, Sonny had been at work, doing inventory and getting ready to close up for the night, when the back room exploded, sending him flying across the club. He hit his head on one of the tables and broken shards of glass and wood got lodged in his chest, stomach, and legs. Hope had been walking by when she heard the blast, found Sonny, and brought him into the hospital. 

"Is he still in surgery?" Will chokes, his hands shaking and his heart beating wildly in his chest.

Adrienne nods. “It will probably be another couple hours. There was a lot of damage and they don’t really know the extent of it.”

Will sinks down into one of the waiting room chairs and runs his fingers through his hair. “Does Hope know what caused the explosion?”

"No, but she thinks it was deliberate."

"So Nick, then," Will deadpans. "She’ll never believe it was him. He’s got the whole Horton family wrapped around his fucking finger." He takes a deep breath and closes his eyes to get himself more under control. "Sorry."

"No. It’s okay. It’s fine." She pulls him into a tight hug and is the most motherly to him she’s ever been. 

"I’m gonna go call my Mom. Tell her what happened and that I need her to watch Ari for the night." Will walks away to a corner of the room and dials Sami’s number.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Six hours later, Will is just starting to doze off in the chair when Daniel comes out of the operating room, his face ashen and exhausted. Adrienne gently wakes him up and they (and Justin, who’d arrived sometime about four hours ago) hurry over to Daniel. 

"Luckily, none of his vital organs were punctured by the glass and wood. The wounds were easy fixes and there wasn’t any extensive brain swelling. But we won’t know the damage to his brain until he wakes up," Daniel tells them.

"What do you mean?" Will nearly shrieks. "You just said there wasn’t swelling."

"That doesn’t mean there isn’t damage," Daniel answers gently. Will almost faints.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Sonny doesn’t wake up from the medically-induced coma for two days. Will is nodding off in the chair next to Sonny’s hospital bed when he hears a groan. Will jumps out of the seat and hurries to Sonny’s side. He grins ear-to-ear, so happy to see Sonny’s big brown eyes again. 

"Hi," Will whispers.

Sonny blinks at him, trying to focus, understand what’s happened and where he is. After a minute, his eyes go wide in panic. He frantically pushes the nurse call button and Will shrinks back, hurt, confused, and highly alarmed.

Daniel and Maxine come rushing into the room, Justin and Adrienne on their heels. Daniel shines lights in Sonny’s eyes as Maxine checks his vitals. Daniel frowns and then asks, “Sonny, can you tell me who these people are?”

"Mom and Dad," Sonny croaks out, his voice sore from non-use over the last couple days.

Daniel nods in approval and moves aside so Sonny can see Will. “And him?”

Sonny stares blankly and his brows furrow in confusion. “Do - do I know you?” Sonny asks. All the color drains from Will’s face and Adrienne has to grab his arm to keep him from falling.

"Can I talk to you outside?" Daniel says, before things get worse. Adrienne, Justin, and Will follow him into the hallway. "It appears Sonny has retrograde amnesia. It’s a more severe case as he can’t remember the last - how long have you known each other?" Daniel asks Will.

"Three years, next week." Will’s voice trembles.

"Usually retrograde amnesia only goes back to the incident that caused it, or a few days or weeks before. But that explosion was very powerful so it’s knocked out the last three years of his life. He’s likely to be very confused."

"Will his memories come back?" Will whispers, tears escaping from his eyes.

"It’s a temporary form of amnesia. Take him to his favorite places to eat, show him pictures, watch his favorite movies with him. In time, it should all come back." Daniel’s confidence does nothing to assuage the breaking of Will’s heart.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Sonny is cleared to go home a week later. Except home to him is the Kiriakis mansion, as it was when he first came to Salem before he got his own apartment. So Justin and Adrienne take him back to the house with them and Will goes back to the apartment alone, with only Arianna Grace as company.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

The day after Sonny’s release Adrienne finds Will at the pub, talking to a contractor about the damage to the club and how much it will cost to rebuild it. She tells him she and Justin spent the night explaining to Sonny all the things he’s done in Salem over the last three years, except the parts about his relationship with Will. She thinks it’s best if Will is the one to tell him that.

"If you’re not doing anything, you can come over now," Adrienne offers. She’s been kinder to Will over the last week than she’s been in the year and a half since he started dating her son.

"I don’t even know where to start with - wait, yes I do!" Will says, the last part more to himself than to Adrienne. "I have to get something from the apartment first and then I’ll be there. Give me, like, ten minutes." She nods and Will runs out of the pub.

Ten minutes later on the dot, Adrienne is opening up the door of the mansion for him and ushering him inside. Sonny is sitting on the couch so near the spot where they’d vowed to love each other completely and forever only two months ago. He’s reading a book and his legs are propped up on the coffee table.

"Sonny, someone’s here to see you," Adrienne says. Sonny looks up from his book and he blinks at them. "I’ll leave you two alone." She squeezes Will’s arm encouragingly and leaves the room, closing the double wood doors behind her.

Sonny makes to get up but Will forestalls him. “It’s okay. You’re still hurt.” Will sits down on the couch next to Sonny, but not so close as to make him uncomfortable. Will’s heart hurts at the space between them; only a week ago they’d been curled up together on their own couch watching a movie.

Sonny shifts a little so they can look at each other and then says, “You were in my room at the hospital when I woke up. Do I know you? Are we friends? I’m sorry if we are and I can’t remember you. It’s really frustrating not remembering the last three years of my life.”

Will blinks away tears that are threatening to fall and answers, “Yeah. We’re friends. Best friends. Um, why don’t we start over. I’m Will Horton.” Will offers his hand for Sonny to shake and a fleeting memory of doing this once before on a pier flashes through his mind.

"Abby’s cousin Will? The one she’s always talking about?” Sonny asks, shaking Will’s hand.

Will has to choke back a sob. It’s almost exactly what Abby said that first time they met three years ago. He has a flickering hope that maybe that memory is making it’s way to the forefront of Sonny’s mind. “Yep. That’s me.”

"Well, nice to meet you. Again," Sonny jokes and flashes his smile that makes Will’s knees go weak and his stomach flutter with butterflies. Then his eyes catch on the book resting on Will’s knees. "What’s that?"

Will remembers then why he went home before coming here. “A photo album but I don’t want to overwhelm you.”

"No. It’s okay. I can take it," Sonny says, his big brown eyes boring into Will’s blue ones. Will melts and flips the book over. Sonny sifts closer so he can see. Their knees brush and it takes all of Will’s strength not to run his fingers through Sonny’s hair. It’s been over a week since they’ve touched and Will is craving his husband’s affection like an addict.

Sonny gently pries the album away from Will and stares at the cover, which reads Will and Sonny: A Love Story in Pictures. Will watches Sonny’s face furrow in confusion as he opens the cover and stares at the picture of the two of them sitting together, their arms around each other. “We’re together?” Sonny asks, turning his face to Will’s.

Will blinks at him, wrestling with himself about whether to tell Sonny everything. He decides on the full truth. “We got married two months ago,” Will answers after a beat and flips to the last page of the album where a picture of them staring into each other’s eyes and small smiles on their faces, their hands together as they get ready to cut their wedding cake, rests with the caption “April 3rd, 2014: The day Will and Sonny got married.” above the photo.

Sonny reverently runs his fingers over the photo, his eyes boring into it almost as if he’s willing himself to remember. “I don’t - I can’t - how could I forget my wedding?” he asks to no one in particular, his voice trembling slightly.

"I’m sorry. This was too much too fast for you," Will says, closing the album. "You should rest. I’ll stop by tomorrow," he hesitates and worries he’s pushing himself on Sonny. "If - if you want." He wants Sonny to get his memories back but he’s also worried about alienating him. The easiness into which they fell into a friendship those few weeks after they met is gone now. Will feels awkward knowing so much about Sonny when Sonny barely knows anything about him; he’s sure Sonny feels the same way.

"Yeah. Yeah, it’s fine," Sonny responds. He smiles slightly and sees Will out.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Four days later, Will is just done putting Ari down for her mid-morning nap when there’s a knock on the door. He swings the door open and finds Sonny standing on the doorstep.

"Hi," Sonny greets, a little timidly. Will steps aside to let him in and closes the door. "I was walking through the square and I felt like I should come here. Now that I see you, I’m guessing it’s because I live here."

Will nods. “You remembered how to get here.” It’s not a question.

"Yeah. That seems to be happening a lot actually the last couple days. Things that were like habits are starting to come back. Yesterday I walked the town end to end without asking for directions and I was able to get from the gym to the mansion on my own," Sonny explains.

"That’s great!" Will responds genuinely. It gives him hope that memories of them will come back soon.

They stand in an awkward silence for a minute and then Sonny asks, “Do you, um, want to get lunch at the pub with me? If you’re free. You can fill me in on some more stuff.” A pause. “About us.” Then, “Oh, wait. You’re alone with Ari, aren’t you?”

Their eyes go wide simultaneously. Will is about to say something when Sonny says, “Wait. I know this.” He squeezes his eyes shut and presses the heels of his hands to his eyelids. “Ari - Arianna Grace. She’s your daughter with - with - with Gabi!” he says loudly and triumphantly. “And I helped her give birth! And that was the day you got shot!”

Will nods furiously and can barely contain his happiness that Sonny is starting to remember. “I’m gonna call my mom to watch her.” He is dialing and getting Sami over to the apartment before Sonny even has a chance to protest.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Two hours, hamburgers and fries, and many stories of non-important moments (Sonny had wanted to try and remember the important ones on his own) later, they are walking out of the Brady Pub. Sonny stops outside in the middle of the little pebbled lane and says, “I had a really fun time today. I really do feel like I’ve known you for years. I just wish I could remember. What?” Will is looking at him funny.

"This lane. It doesn’t mean anything to you? Not ringing any bells?" Will asks, an ounce of disappointment in his voice.

Sonny seems to note it because he frowns. “Should it?”

Will blinks rapidly but takes a step closer. He almost laughs at the irony of the reversal of their roles. Hesitant, he asks, “Can I - can I kiss you?” He doesn’t want to scare off Sonny but he’s starting to get desperate. He needs to do something to help jog Sonny’s memory.

Sonny’s mouth falls open in surprise. “Oh.” After a beat, “Yeah.”

Heart pounding as fast as it did that day in this spot over a year and a half ago, Will closes the gap between them. He gently cups Sonny’s face and slowly brings their lips together in a second first kiss - at least for Sonny. Sonny doesn’t kiss back at first and Will’s worried he’s gone too far but then Sonny’s arms are around his waist and his tongue is pushing past Will’s lips. Will makes an almost obscene noise he’s sure the people inside the pub heard, as their tongues tangle together. It’s been almost two weeks since he last kissed Sonny and he wraps his arms around Sonny’s neck to pull him closer.

They kiss for a long time - almost inappropriately for standing outside his great-grandmother’s pub - but he’s so desperately missed kissing his husband and Sonny is equally enthusiastic and responsive. Eventually, they break apart - only because they need air - and Sonny presses their foreheads together. After a minute, he says, “Our first kiss. You were upset about something my mother had said and you cancelled our date. I found you here with Marlena and talked you out of your head.”

Will chokes back a sob and nods against Sonny’s forehead.

Sonny pulls away just enough so they can look at each other. “I’m gonna move back into the apartment with you and Ari. I want to get the rest of m-our memories back.”

Will kisses him again and they walk to the Kiriakis mansion hand-in-hand. An hour later, whatever stuff Adrienne had taken from the apartment is back in its place and Will and Sonny are curled up on the couch watching a movie, like they used to when they were first dating.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Over the next couple weeks, Sonny continues to remember little things about the last three years - owning the apartment across the hall; turning the Cheating Heart into the coffee house and then the coffee house into the club; Sami being arrested for murder and Chad getting shot because she got off; T verbally attacking him and Will standing up for him; Sami cheating on Rafe with EJ because Will’s brother went missing. He even remembers how to be a dad to Arianna. 

But his memory is still woefully blank on most of their relationship. It’s disheartening for Will who had thought they were making progress and frustrating for Sonny who’s looked at the love story album cover to cover dozens of times and still can’t remember the events documented in it.

One day, Will is filling Sonny in on the plans he’s made to get the club reconstructed when Sonny’s says, “I still can’t believe T got a female stripper for us for our bachelor party.” Will drops the baby toy he’s holding and turns around to stare at a Sonny, a huge smile on his face. 

Sonny blinks at him and then grins back. “I remember the bachelor party,” he states. “She was giving me a lap dance and then she thought you were the best man. And Gabi and T made speeches.”

Will laughs in elation and bends down to kiss Sonny’s lips. “Your memories are coming back quicker now. It seems like smaller things are starting to trigger it.” He sits down at the table and twines their fingers together. Even though Sonny still doesn’t remember everything, he remembers enough to know they’re in love and to be comfortable sharing affection with Will.

"I am going to remember everything in the album. I promise. You worked so hard on it to get it ready for Valentine’s Day, finding all the pictures and making the captions. Faking me out with that proposal answer page." He pauses and Will grins again. It’s another memory returned. "I want to have the memories of all of it encased in there."

They kiss briefly before Will gets up to tend to a crying Ari.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

After another week, Sonny has remembered Gabi and Nick’s disaster wedding and their own subsequent break-up; meeting Will for the first time on the pier; Nick showing up at Arianna’s christening; Lucas interrupting them two Halloweens ago; coming out to Victor; Gabi’s false labor and them getting back together; and proposing to Will (and Will turning him down). But their first time and their wedding still elude him.

They are alone in the apartment at Sami’s insistence - her excuse that she doesn’t get to see her granddaughter enough and wants her overnight - eating dinner at their little kitchen table by candlelight. Soft music filters out of the stereo.

When they finish and dump the dishes in the sink, they crash on the couch, one of Will’s legs draped over Sonny’s and their fingers twined together. There’s an electricity to the room that is reminiscent of their first time across the hall. Will’s heart pounds as Sonny cups his cheek with his free hand and leans forward to kiss him slowly, but passionately.

When they break apart a minute later, Sonny stands up and holds his hand out to Will. “Bedroom?” Although they sleep in the same bed every night, they haven’t had sex since Sonny lost his memory - Will has respected Sonny’s boundaries - and even for Will this feels like their first time. Will slips his hand into Sonny’s and follows him into their bedroom.

Sonny turns, his back to the bed, and cups Will’s face again. Will leans forward and kisses Sonny languidly while he slips Sonny’s blazer off his shoulders. They briefly break apart and Will asks, “You okay?”

Sonny blinks and stares blankly a few seconds before answering, “Isn’t that my line?” Will’s eyes go wide. Sonny simply smiles and nods his assertion that he’s remembered their first time. Will pulls him close, his arms around Sonny’s waist, and slams their lips together. Sonny chuckles into Will’s mouth and wraps his arms around Will’s neck.

Will walks Sonny backwards and they fall onto the bed, Will on top of Sonny, their mouths working furiously against each other and their hands scrabbling to get their clothes off. It’s no longer their second first time, but rather an affirmation of their love and Sonny’s memory of their love.

After, limbs loose and spent, their heart rates slowly returning to normal, they lay tangled in the sheets, their ankles interlocked and Sonny’s head on Will chest. Will traces little circles up and down Sonny’s arm. “That was -” Will starts but Sonny cuts him off. “Perfect. Perfect’s the word.” They laugh and Will kisses Sonny’s hair.

They’re quiet for a minute, almost dozing off when Sonny whispers, “I still don’t remember our wedding.”

"It’s the most recent memory. Daniel said things closer to the incident are the last to come back," Will responds. "Everything else has come back in time. That will too." Two months ago he wouldn’t have believed what he was saying, but now he absolutely does.

Sonny smiles up at him and they fall asleep, Sonny’s head still on Will’s chest.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Two months to the day since the explosion at the club, Sonny still hasn’t remembered their wedding. Will is starting to get worried and he convinces Sonny to go to Daniel for an exam. After, Daniel assures them that everything is fine, that Sonny’s brain is healthy and he’s only missing a few memories, which are the ones closest to the incident, including the blast. 

On their way home, Sonny insists on walking past the club. He hasn’t seen it since the explosion and he’d like to see how the reconstruction is coming (not that he doesn’t trust Will). When they walk inside, Sonny pauses for a few seconds, meanders around, inspects things, talks to the workers. He seems satisfied and is about tell Will that they can go home, when he stops abruptly and stares at the back room where the blast had happened.

"It was Nick," Sonny says to himself but Will hears him and comes over. "I remember. Earlier in the day, Nick had come in for coffee and I was serving people at a table in that corner." He points to a table by the window in the far corner. "My back was turned to the bar and the back room. Nick must have slipped in there to plant the bomb because when I turned around to go back to the bar, he was coming out of the back room. I questioned him and he just said he went to the bathroom but he was lying."

"Of course he was," Will agrees. "You have to tell Hope what you just told me. Not that it’ll make a difference or that she’ll believe you. You know how he has all the Hortons charmed or whatever. But it’s been two months and the cops still haven’t figured out who did it. Not that I’m surprised," he adds as an afterthought.

They hurry out of the club and over to the police department. Sonny tells Hope what he’d told Will and she says she’ll look into it. Will and Sonny go home expecting nothing to come of it.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

About a week after he’s told Hope what he remembered about the explosion, Sonny is picking up breakfast for him and Will (who is still sleeping and home with Arianna). He’s waiting at the counter for one of the waiters to bring out their food and his mind drifts to the conversation that’s going on at the table next to where he’s standing.

There’s a group of four college kids, maybe a year or two behind Will, and their conversation has gotten increasingly louder the longer Sonny has been standing there. They are obviously having a heated discussion about the book they’re currently reading in their English class. (Sonny can tell because living with Will has enabled him to see the tell-tale signs of book analysis.) The girl closest to him seems to be the most into the conversation, to have the strongest opinion. Their words overlap each other to the point where Sonny can’t really follow what they’re saying but he catches a word or two here or there.

He turns away, trying not to eavesdrop, and is taking the bag with their food from the waiter when the girl’s voice carries over the others’ and he’s able to hear clearly what she’s saying. “How can you not think that’s beautiful? Two imperfect souls meeting and pulling each other out of the fog and the trivialities of life to come together and create something that’s near perfection?!”

As she gestures wildly to emphasize her point, Sonny gasps loudly and blinks rapidly, his heart beating fast and hard against his chest. He practically throws money on the counter and hurries out of the pub.

When he pushes his way into the apartment ten minutes later, Will is in the kitchen setting the table for breakfast, Arianna bouncing contentedly in her highchair. Sonny smiles at the domesticity of it and walks over to give Will a kiss on the cheek and Arianna a kiss on the top of her head. 

They’re halfway through their omelets and bagels when Sonny says, “You’re not more imperfect than me, you know.”

"What?"

"What you said in your vows. About bringing more of the imperfections to the marriage than me. It’s not true. We’re equally imperfect. That’s what makes us perfect together," Sonny says, as a grin spreads across his face. Will is staring at him, eyes wide and mouth hanging open, his fork suspended in midair, half-way to his mouth.

"What?" Sonny asks innocently, his voice inflected delicately.

"You remember?" Will whispers. 

"You fed me cake. Our moms fought over our honeymoon and our first house. Theresa got food dumped on her dress. Sami and EJ booked us a room at the Salem Inn," Sonny rattles off.

Will drops his fork, which clangs loudly against his plate, and surges forward to slam their lips together. Sonny chuckles into the kiss and braces his hands against Will’s cheeks to steady them at the awkward angle in which they’re sitting. They kiss fervently for a minute until Ari makes a noise and bangs her spoon against the tray of her high chair.

They break apart and simultaneously turn to Ari who is laughing to herself (and at them, possibly) and continues to bang her spoon against the tray. Will gently pries it away from her but she doesn’t seem to care. She continues to gape at them happily, almost as if she understands what’s just happened and is just as giddy as they are that all of Sonny’s memories have returned.

As they both smile gently at their daughter, Sonny tangles his and Will’s fingers together over the table, the euphoric feeling of completely remembering this life he’s created with Will sitting comfortably in his chest, just over his heart.


End file.
